Vintage Racing – Pulpaddict

VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL

Jim Palam headed to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL with a craving. Discovers he’s just one among 15,000 with a ‘Need for Speed.’

It is like your favorite piece of pie. You will make sacrifices just so you can enjoy it again and again. I had my first Velocity slice a year ago and what a treat to be back to enjoy the VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL again in 2022!

For those of you still waiting to take a bite of Velocity I’d say “Definitely go!” Remember that piece of pie? What makes it a treat is that all of the ingredients are right – and it’s been prepared and presented by people skilled and passionate about what they do. In the Velocity Pie mix are the rare and expensive automotive festival ingredients that impress: Iconic American and imported vintage and historic racecars. Modern Formula One cars. Actual pedal-to-the-metal racing. Cutting-edge prototypes of the next-gen Hypercars. The Mighty Minis! Gourmet food and beverages at the show’s Sip & Savor Pavilion. And – drum-roll please – Mario Andretti running spirited exhibition laps behind the wheel of the ‘13 McLaren MP4/28A Formula 1 car, courtesy of Zach Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing!

From its inception the VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL was designed to be a family affair. “Velocity Invitational was introduced with a vision of revitalizing the motorsports experience for all generations of enthusiasts and their families to enjoy,” said event founder Jeff O’Neill. As I explored the paddock areas I spoke with families from points near and far including California, New Jersey, Kansas and Japan. Some were spectators and others racers. All were having an excellent time!

This year’s 3-Day Velocity event attracted over 15,000 attendees from Friday, October 14 through Sunday the 16th. It was also live-streamed with over 600,000 followers across YouTube (syndicated by Goodwood Road & Racing) and other streaming platforms. I had hoped to cover at least two days of the event but thanks to some anti-car guy who did a hit and run smash on my parked pickup I had to hitch a ride up on Saturday with local race car driver John Adams. He was more than happy to be my driver and even happier that he got a personal photo with racing legend Mario Andretti in the McLaren Garage. The good news is that I had a ball and shot over 800 photos on Saturday. I’m excited about presenting some of my favorite images – including the 3D printed Czinger C21 Hypercar, above right. Enjoy!

Group 6 cars lined up on the Pre-Grid Lane included this red ’67 427 Corvette, followed by the silver GT40 and the blue Shelby FIA Cobra. The Group 6 cars include 1963 – 1969 Sports & GT cars. They were wonderfully noisy and sometimes nasty as they muscled their way around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway.

Sitting right below the gray Media Center building were the Juan Gonzalez Formula One Pole Position Collection cars, most recently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Juan, a racer and motorsports enthusiast, is the CEO of Mission Foods which is the #1 tortilla company in the U.S. Mission Foods is also a McLaren team sponsor.

I discovered this beautiful Aston Martin DP215 sitting poised and proper along the primary paddock lane when I first arrived at Laguna Seca early Saturday morning. A single example was built for GT racing in 1963. The DP215 was sold at RM Sotheby’s 2018 Monterey auction for $21,455,000 including buyer’s fee!

Impossible to ignore on the green sod of the Pre-Grid display area was the McLaren P1 HDK (High Downforce Kit) orange sizzler from Lanzante Limited and O’Gara. It follows in the same footsteps as the High Downforce Kit that was available to McLaren F1 owners who wanted to give their cars added performance and a unique aesthetic. The McLaren/Lazante P1 HDK is a privately owned, fully bespoke commission.

A ’67 Porsche 910-004 sits low and ready-to-go on the Pre-Grid. Only 980-mm high, its fender height is about the same as the knee height of the mechanic standing at-the-ready next to the driver. Only 29 910s were built from 1966 to 1967; 10 remain worldwide. Specs: 2000-cc 6-cylinder, 225 horsepower, top speed 155 mph. The 910 was only raced for about one year by the factory. Class rivals Ferrari Dino 206P and Ford GT40 proved too powerful for the 910.

We featured an exterior shot of this silver Scuderia Bear GT40 P/1029 for our Monterey Car Week 2022 race report back in August. It was great to see her back out on the track for the VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL. This time I thought you would enjoy a driver’s view of the interior – just before blasting away for the Group 6 Qualifying Race.

McLaren had a strong and active presence at Velocity. Much more than a partner and sponsor of this Luxury motorsports event, they were also fully engaged with the velocity/speed side of things – offering up track rides in their modern production cars and racecars to burn-up Laguna Seca’s asphalt. Pictured is the MP4-27 designed by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for the 2012 Formula One season punching it out on the Corkscrew.

When he zipped by me, I was impressed by this gentleman’s deft handling of his electric mobility scooter in the paddock garage area. When he parked it behind this iconic ‘61 Cooper Monaco Mk. III curiosity got the better of me, so I struck up a friendly conversation. Turns out this is Jeffrey Heller, the founding principal of Heller Manus Architects of San Francisco, and the proud owner the Cooper. This impeccably restored icon has a wonderful race history that includes ownership by Briggs Cunningham and victories in the early 1960s at Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen. It later won its class with Spencer Trenery behind the wheel.

Stunt driver, drift champion and TV host Tanner Foust was one of the celebrity racecar drivers entertaining the crowds. I grabbed this shot of him in the Gulf Racing ‘96 McLaren F1 GT-12R as it blasted away from the infamous Corkscrew. Racing enthusiast and pharmaceuticals magnate Ray Bellm along with co-driver James Weaver drove this car to four wins on their way to becoming the 1996 BPR GT champions.

This head turner was on the display grass. From a distance I thought, “Hey, it’s a Ferrari 250 SWB!” When I got up close, I realized that this red V-12 gem is a revival build from famed Ferrari restoration shop GTO Engineering. It has been meticulously hand built to the same 1962 factory specs as the original and this example was brought to Laguna Seca by the folks at the O’Gara Collective. GTO Engineering will build just 60 replicated 250 SWBs.

As impressive as it is to see and hear the modern F1 cars scream around Laguna Seca, it’s a special treat to see vintage racers like this lightweight and aerodynamic, 210 horsepower, ‘38 Talbot-Lago T-26 SS aggressively run the course on skinny tires and fervid resolve. The T-26 SS was designed for Le Mans competition but unfortunately would never see a victory at the famed 24-hour race. Brian Mullin was the driver of the Talbot-Lago in this Group 1 Qualifying Race.

If you head to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to catch a vintage automobile race it’s a good bet you are going to see the Ragtime Racers and their impressive collection of pre-1920 racecars from the “Heroic Age.” One of my favorite cars from the collection is the mighty 1917 Hall-Scott owned by Dick DeLuna. Built on a vintage REO steel chassis, this reconstructed racer is powered by a truly massive 9,900-cc, 4-cylinder, overhead cam WW I aircraft motor!

The Next Generation: I met these three 19-year-old guys in the Ragtime Racers open garage space in the paddock. They volunteer for the Ragtimers and are happy to get hands-on experience wrenching on these vintage machines. They are pictured with a 1911 National Racer which is restored to the same specs as it raced in the first Indy 500 back in 1911!

Throughout my day at the VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL, I asked attendees and participants if they were enjoying the event. No one I talked to had anything negative to say. Perhaps the best response I received was from the driver of a stunning Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada that was staged for a qualifying race. When I asked him if he was having a good time, he shot his thumb up and said, “Inside the helmet I’m smiling!”

Words & Photos © Jim Palam, https://www.jimpalamphotos.com/

“If you can’t see it, smell it and hear it, it’s not a racecar.” – Jeff O’Neill. Founder of the Velocity Invitational, on why he encourages participants to race their vintage and historic cars at VELOCITY INVITATIONAL MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL. For more details, please visit https://velocityinvitational.com/

For the latest information on events at Laguna Seca, check out https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/government-links/weathertech-raceway

SALOON GROUP: 2022 ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORICS

Among the many makes and models eligible for the SALOON GROUP: 2022 ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORICS is this ‘67 Alfa Romeo GTA, which Brandon Adrian drove at the 2018 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

Visitors to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 17-20 will see a decidedly European staple rev to life. The historic Saloon (or Touring) car race group is an exciting class that always produces an interesting variety of cars when they race at equally legendary tracks like Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans. Now they’re setting their sights on America and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“The Advisory Council has been discussing new classes of racing for a while to keep each Rolex Reunion fresh for both drivers and visitors,” explained Bruce Canepa, co-chair of the Advisory Council, which also oversees car selection. “The Saloon group perfectly complements the four Le Mans-focused groups, as well as our signature groups like Historic Trans-Am and Formula One. It is going to be a spectacular experience.”

Eligible cars range from the Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce and Lotus Cortina to the MG Magnette and Wolseley Hornet. “The variety of cars that are being submitted for entry consideration is impressive and entertaining,” Canepa added.

Saloon cars are road-going close-bodied models that have been heavily modified for racing. The purpose of adding this group is to begin establishing it as a regular attraction that can be rotated with others from year to year.

The 2022 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion celebrates the start of a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the world’s most famous sports car race – the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Of the 12 race groups, four are dedicated to cars that raced at Le Mans or were eligible to race in period. The groups span from 1923 all the way through the blindingly fast Le Mans Prototypes seen between 1981 and 2005.

Visitors to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion can expect to see the world’s best authentic and historic cars with period-correct livery in the paddock and on track. The four-day celebration, which begins on Wednesday, August 17, and concludes on Saturday, August 20, is preceded by two days of the Monterey Pre-Reunion, August. 13 and 14, where many of the same cars compete.

For more information on SALOON GROUP: 2022 ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORICS and other events for 2022, please visit https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/government-links/weathertech-raceway

MENDENHALL: CARS, GAS PUMPS & PETROLIANA MUSEUM

CarGuyChronicles’ Jim Palam pulls in to the MENDENHALL: CARS, GAS PUMPS & PETROLIANA MUSEUM to fill-up with American petroleum industry history and an eyeful of colorful signage and cars from a bygone era.

Sitting at a window table at Ellen’s Pancake House I could see the large neon and red Pegasus rising up above the tall wooden perimeter fence surrounding the Mendenhall Museum – located just across Avenue of the Flags from the eatery in Buellton, CA. Over the years I had picked up a bit of the Petroliana museum’s fascinating history, hanging out with some of the local car guys and decided it was finally time to check it out.

As the story goes, after Jack Mendenhall sold his Richfield gas and service station back in the 1970s, he went on the road selling business related signs and marketing materials. He also continued searching the highways and byways of America looking for vintage gas pumps and petroleum industry related collectibles. He’d been at that hobby since the 1950s. When he found items, he liked he’d haul them back to his wrecking yard in Buellton. During those years Jack also raced cars and had a passion for dry lake, oval track and drag racing. He became a Lifetime Member of Bonneville’s 200 MPH Club in 1991 and was inducted into the Land Speed Hall of Fame in 1993.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s Jack was also the crew chief, owner and co-driver of the historic Pea Soup Andersen Special, a vintage ’46 Ford flathead-powered dragster that was rumored during those racing heydays to be “Souper-Charged.” Racing often at Southern and Central California drag strips, the Special clocked a top speed of 143 mph and a low ET of 9.474 seconds. “Souper Sponsors” of this racing machine included racing icons Bob Joehnck Automotive, Edelbrock, Iskenderian Cams and Jim Deist. The dragster still has its own special garage.

Automotive picking, collecting and racing is in the Mendenhall family blood. In the early 2000s, the transformation of Jack’s prodigious Petroliana collection into a curated museum began. After Jack’s passing in 2005, son Mark and daughter-in-law Vickie took the wheel of the museum and have helped steer it to the remarkable treasure-trove of petroleum industry artifacts it is today. Privately owned, it’s located on the site of Jack’s old wrecking yard, just a burnout from where his gas station once stood at the corner Zaca Street and Avenue of the Flags!

Visitors enter the museum Private-Club-style through a nondescript door in the perimeter fence. Once beyond the portal you are hit with a graphic barrage of bold and colorful porcelain, metal and neon signs that cover every available inch of the exterior walls of the garage-style buildings that line the u-shaped interior driveway. Currently there are over 100 vintage gas pumps, 400 illuminated gas pump globes, 2,500 metal and porcelain signs, 40 neon signs and 1,500 vintage license plates carefully and cleverly displayed throughout the museum’s dozen garages and two-story center building.

Of course the collection doesn’t stop there; visitors will also discover vintage oil cans and auto parts, music boxes, soda fountain signage, street & highway signs, mid-century Americana, street rods, a Red Bluff drag boat and racecars – including another Pea Soup Andersen’s Special – this, a 350-cubic-inch-powered Oldsmobile Cutlass that Jack raced at Baja in the 1970s. Being a family that loved to race together, Mark also raced a sister-car Cutlass with his Dad during those exciting Baja years.

Every time I thought OK, this must be the last room or garage to explore, another surprising space would reveal itself – like the low-lit Fire Engine Room where the Mendenhalls had somehow managed to park and display a well-used and weathered ‘39 Ford fire truck. This fire-fighting machine was apparently used at Vandenberg Air Force Base when the base was known as the Camp Cooke U.S. Army Garrison back in the early-1940s. Camp Cooke’s remote location made it an ideal site for rapid artillery and armor training.

The Mendenhall Museum has something for everyone, but if you’re a serious lakes-racing enthusiast, get ready for goose bumps and heartfelt emotion. While the museum’s event spaces are available for a variety of special functions, its biggest celebration is the biennial “Gas Up” where land speed luminaries are inducted into the museum’s Dry Lakes Hall of Fame. Not only do you get to enjoy the camaraderie of the racers and a tasty meal, you also get to inspect the famous land speed cars that are trailered to the museum for the event.

On the ground floor of the center building, behind a door displaying a Southern California Timing Association (S.C.T.A.) sign, you’ll discover the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame, a special room dedicated to the history of land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats and El Mirage. On one of the shelves of a long, full wall display case you’ll find the racing helmet worn by Jack Mendenhall when he set the D/GR record of 207.015 mph in his Chevy-powered, Wescott-bodied Car No. 234 roadster back on August 22, 1991.

As I was wrapping up my photo shoot and exploration, I found myself back in the large room of the center building where Mark and wife Vickie had just completed one of their guided tours. The good news is that with the lifting of Covid restrictions the Mendenhall is back in business. This room had yet another impossibly dense collection of signs and collectibles covering the walls and ceiling. At the far end of the room near the exit door is a cozy and inviting bar. If I was still a drinking man, I might have asked Mark to mix me a Mendenhall Special. Instead, I headed to the rest room to the left of the bar, not to “Unfill ‘er Up” but to grab a few more photos. By this point I wasn’t a surprised that the walls were covered with signs here too. My favorites were the three, eye-level gas-grade signs above the two urinals and toilet!

If you’re looking for relief from the mundane, make it a point to visit the MENDENHALL: CARS, GAS PUMPS & PETROLIANA MUSEUM in Buellton, CA. Tell Mark and Vickie that Jim from CarGuyChronicles sent you. Check it out @ http://www.mendenhallmuseum.com/

Words and Photos: Jim Palam, https://www.jimpalamphotos.com/

ANTIQUE RACECARS: CELEBRATED AT LAGUNA SECA

Ragtime Racers will celebrate pre-1920 achievements on and off Laguna Seca – ANTIQUE RACECARS: CELEBRATED AT LAGUNA SECA – at Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion during Monterey Car Week.

The need for speed abruptly began when the second automobile was built. To help celebrate these early beginnings of motorsports, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will celebrate the early days of racing with a lively interactive exhibit of pre-1920 racers that helped cement motorsports’ place in history.

The Ragtime Racers will not be a static display of antique race cars. Owners and riding mechanics will don the racing gear of the day, fire up their cars’ engines and run daily race exhibitions to show fans these old cars are not for show, but can still come alive to tackle the hills of Laguna Seca.

Affectionately known as the Ragtime Racers, group organizer Brian Blain explains it is about educating guests about the rich motorsports history of the time period. “We encourage entrants to spend time sharing the history of their cars, allow photos behind the wheel and display tools and equipment from the period as well,” Blain said. “We want it to be a time warp for spectators to see and enjoy.”

When not on track, the cars will still be revving in their pit, crews will be conducting pit stop demonstrations, engine rebuilds and providing guests tours each day. “Our reward is engaging with fans and in knowing that we shared a piece of history with someone new,” Blain added.

The range of the cars in the display will be a treasure trove of history. Among the invited cars are:

1908 Chalmers-Detroit – This is in rare original condition, as found five years ago, and has been mechanically restored for racing but retains its original 112-year-old paint and rust. It is the only surviving Chalmers-Detroit racecar in existence and has not been seen in public for 100 years. It was driven by L. B. Lorimer in the Savannah Races in 1908 and later competed in the Cobe Trophy Races in Crown Point, Indiana.

1909 Locomobile – This car is one of only two Model “I” racers built by the Locomobile factory. It finished 3rd in the Cobe Trophy race driven by George Robertson. A four-cylinder engine cast out of bronze powers it, and power is transferred to the rear wheels by large roller chains and sprockets.

1911 National – This car was a participant in the first Indy 500 in 1911 where it finished 7th driven by Charlie Merz. It is one of three factory-built racers entered in that race and is powered by a huge 4-cylinder engine displacing 450 cubic inches. It has been clocked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 100 mph.

1913 Bugatti T-22 – Possibly the oldest Bugatti racecar running in the United States, this Bugatti is one of only 10 ever built and capable of 4,000 rpm and 75 mph. It is powered by a revolutionary (at the time) four-cylinder motor with overhead cam and four valves per cylinder. It had not run since 1920 until recently undergoing a 1,900-hour restoration.

“The Ragtime Racers exhibition is one of several new features added to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion weekend,” commented Barry Toepke, director of heritage events and public relations. “Our entire team is determined to wow everyone who enters WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Safely enhancing the guest experience is our top priority.”

The annual historic race will be held August 12-15 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. For more information about ANTIQUE RACECARS: CELEBRATED AT LAGUNA SECA and the calendar of events, please visit https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/government-links/weathertech-raceway